Don't be a turkey for Thanksgiving!

[hot.chef]

This year my wife and I have been blessed with the announcement that a certain tradition bound relative must spend Thanksgiving elsewhere. This would ordinarily be a sad thing if we had not spent the last few years trying vainly to cook something other than a turkey just once! Judging by the virulence of the reaction you would think that we'd advocated spitting babies on bayonets and roasting them in the fireplace. It's turkey for god's sake, get a grip! This year's menu will include boned Guinea Hen stuffed with Truffled Duck Mousse. If we really feel the need for actual Native American food that will provide a weekend of leftovers then a big pot of Navajo Posole will do.

If your planning on using your culinary imagination to plan a fall holiday menu that your friends and relatives will actually be thankful for. Or if you'd like to share recipes for same, let's hear from you.

Have a Happy Autumnal Equinox.

hot.chef

[snowangel]

No one in my family will let me host Thanksgiving because they know I'd more than likely grill steaks, smoke a butt, perhaps smoke a turkey, but not serve the traditional dried out turkey with awful gravy (the kind made with drippings and shaking water and flour together and stiring it over the stove 'til it resembles wallpaper paste).

I am, however, this year taking larb for an appetizer.

[lamb]

No one in my family will let me host Thanksgiving because they know I'd more than likely grill steaks, smoke a butt, perhaps smoke a turkey, but not serve the traditional dried out turkey with awful gravy (the kind made with drippings and shaking water and flour together and stiring it over the stove 'til it resembles wallpaper paste).

I am, however, this year taking larb for an appetizer.

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snowangel,

Have you been eating my mother-in-law's gravy?

I have been dreaming over the past few nights of actually telling the women that we hate her gravy and to please let me do something else. Anyone have any turkey gravy suggestions??

Oh - sorry to say that we will still be having a "traditional" T-Day dinner.

Old habits die hard.

[Carrot Top]

We are a small family and not tradition-bound. Nevertheless...for the sake of having some sort of idea of 'history' and 'culture' for the children, I tried to plan a menu this year that will provide both but will avoid a large turkey.

Nibbles beforehand: Nuts to crack and make a mess...

Smoked Turkey and Chutney on Endive Spears

Seasoned Crisp Roast Large Lima Beans

Mulled Apple Cider

Then: Corn Chowder....perhaps with a Sally Lunn or a Brown Bread, perhaps not...depends on motivation level

Followed by: Maine Lobster, Drawn Butter

Salad

And for Dessert: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake and

Pumpkin-Vanilla Swirl Ice Cream

Tried to get the beans and corn thing in there...and I always like to think of that account (was it John Smith that wrote it?) of 'Lobsters as large as your arm' solidly filling the shore waters of the New World as they rowed in to the rocky beaches....then of course cranberries...New England needs its cranberry bog production jobs and pumpkin...(I grow livid thinking of the usual doleful pumpkin pie... ).

So that, is our menu this year.

Oh! A pleasant full-bodied American white wine for me, too. Haven't chosen one yet...generally I entrust the choice to our excellent wine merchant in town for I do not keep up with this always-moving detail-oriented knowledge-required business!

[Malawry]

I've done fish in past years--pan-seared pecan-crusted trout with apple-cider reduction. This was in addition to the turkey though, not instead of it. Those of you whose families insist on turkey, I recommend you make whatever you desire in addition to the traditional bird. That way everybody's happier. If you object to the time and energy investment in two entrees you can always buy a cooked bird. My mom does this most years and nobody seems to mind. (Then she has me commandeer the rest of the menu, so she's off the hook once she buys the groceries! )

[snowangel]

snowangel,

Have you been eating my mother-in-law's gravy?

I have been dreaming over the past few nights of actually telling the women that we hate her gravy and to please let me do something else.  Anyone have any turkey gravy suggestions??

Oh - sorry to say that we will still be having a "traditional" T-Day dinner. 

Old habits die hard.

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No, I've been eating my bil's mother's gravy.

Thaw out some really good chix stock. Make a nice roux. Should be a nice golden color. Gradually add the stock.

Word. The only way to make gravy. Gravy with "raw" flour is evil, vile and a thing to be avoided. The flour must be cooked with fat so it doesn't taste like flour.

I head north, to a posh resort with three college friends on Thanksgiving. We'd just as soon avoid this meal and leave early in the morning, but our families so strongly object to use avoiding this meal (that none of us really care for) that we do it.

I intend to fill up my my appetizer of larb so I can avoid the pasty gravy and the "dressing" that is beyond belief.

[Tess]

We often have something non-turkey for Thanksgiving. It used to be wild game birds but no one in the family is hunting these days. This year I may have pumpkin ravioli or some other pasta.

If there is no non-turkey bird, though, I do generally cook a boneless breast of turkey, either marinated or rolled up with some kind of stuffing inside, so that no one expecting turkey is diappointed. I cook a lot of the boneless breasts anyway because they're good food for my diet.

[nessa]

Anyone have any turkey gravy suggestions??

Oh - sorry to say that we will still be having a "traditional" T-Day dinner. 

Old habits die hard.

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Smoked turkey gravy is divine. Its my new tradition.

For me, it doesn't HAVE to be turkey, I'd like to experiment with partridge or some exotic bird. I *love* smoked turkey. And the drippings that come from it are pure gold. I put a new twist on my grandma's delicious gravy and we really couldn't be happier. I do miss the stuffin'. I make it as dressing but its not *quite* the same. But I can live with that because the turkey is so muuch moister and more flavorful.

Christmas is when I tend to experiment more. Traditionally in our home we had turkey for both. Now It depends on my mood. Ham, lamb, pork roast, prime rib..... I can't decide this year. This is the first year that the family is coming to my place so perhaps I'll take a poll.

Edited November 6, 2004 by nessa (log)

[Jinmyo]

Carrot Top, that's a very nice menu.

[Carrot Top]

Terribly uncomplicated, it is...Jinmyo...my mouth usually slavers when I read yours! but it has the great advantage that I know these little ones will gobble gobble it... (et merci, mon ami..aussi!)

Edited November 7, 2004 by Carrot Top (log)

[FL Heat]

We'll be smoking the larger turkey and doing a smaller one in the oven (we have friends from all walks of life, and my parents, coming this year, so I don't want to disappoint anyone hoping for a "regular" turkey). After reading nessa's post, though, we will indeed have smoked turkey gravy. Hadn't even crossed my mind, but it's genius! And after reading Susan in FL's foodblog, I think I'll add some sort of grouper dish to the menu, to make it "Florida".

Diana

[robyn]

I happen to love turkey (had my big turkey leg at the county fair today ) - but my husband's family is having turkey at noon at the nursing home - and I'm making dinner. No one wants to eat a turkey dinner twice in a day. So I'm making a marinated pork tenderloin (father-in-law's and husband's request) - with an apple and prune gravy. I thought I had most of the rest of the meal decided - but now I am second-guessing myself. Robyn

[Jinmyo]

At the very least, if you are going to cook turkey, at the very very least slice the tendons around the ankle of the drum stick and pull those beggars out.

[Chud62120798]

Brine the turkey! Brine the turkey! It doesn't dry out as much. Or, if you really want to make your life hellish, debone the turkey and stuff it if you get that far... Always good for a cry...

[NulloModo]

I am one of those who absolutely has to have turkey at thanksgiving. Tradition is extremely important to me, especially with regard to the holidays. Even though I love prime rib, and find it far tastier than Turkey, I would be quite unhappy to see a huge prime rib roast cooked perfectly on the table on thanksgiving instead of a Turkey.

Actually, I will go one step further. It has to be a _whole_ turkey and and arrive at the table unsliced. I still remember the year (when I was around 10/11) that I decided to be a total brat and boycott thanksgiving because my parents decided to do just a turkey breat instead of the whole bird... it just doesn't seem right without those two legs sticking up in the air.

[Jaymes]

"Don't be a turkey for Thanksgiving! Cut the cord and cook something else."

You mean in addition to the turkey?

Sorry, but the way my kids put it to me the one time I tried, "There are 364 other days in the year when you can cook whatever you want, Mom, but this is Thanksgiving."

I decided they had a point. Traditions don't necessarily come easily, and are not to be taken lightly.

And as for the gravy, I remove the turkey from the roaster and set it aside to rest. Then I put the roaster onto the stovetop, across two burners, and set the heat to medium. I sprinkle the flour into the roaster, and with my largest wooden spoon, make a roux, scraping up all those delicious brown bits from roasting the turkey. I lay a bed of carrots and celery across the bottom of the roasting pan for the turkey to sit on so that his little bottom doesn't burn; and now, I discard the veggies, but their flavor lingers on. Since I stuff the dressing into the turkey, there are always fallen bits of that as well.

When I've got my roux nicely browned into a rich golden color, and there's no raw flour flavor left to ruin my gravy, I slowly add the stock (in which I have been simmering the turkey neck, gizzard, heart, etc.). I allow it to thicken slightly (good giblet gravy is relatively thin, in my view). At the last minute, I pour in a little cream, some white wine, the chopped meat from the neck, heart, gizzard, and one chopped, hardboiled egg. Then I taste for seasonings: salt, white pepper, etc.

Who knows, maybe there's better giblet gravy out there, but I never get any complaints.

Edited November 8, 2004 by Jaymes (log)

[robyn]

At the very least, if you are going to cook turkey, at the very very least slice the tendons around the ankle of the drum stick and pull those beggars out.

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Had to laugh when you mentioned this. They never do that with turkey legs at county fairs. I used to carry a pocket knife with me to do the dirty deed - but now - with all the security signs and warnings when you enter fairs - the last thing I want to do is carry a pocket knife around. So I struggle with them using a plastic knife and fork - and the turkey usually wins (it won today ). Robyn

[TarteTatin]

OKAY.

I know Thanksgiving was so far away we've forgotten it and are already thinking about Christmas turkey/ham.

But, we were invited to the guy who started this threads dinner- for Thanksgiving, and I haven't had the chance to write back and tell you how outrageous it was.

Hot.Chef rocks.

We had TRUFFLE popcorn to start. Yes, you read that right! Outrageous! There were cheeses, some fabulous blue goat presented at the James Beard dinner. But who cared.

-- TRUFFLE POPCORN is your tongue throwing a party for your mouth.

Then, he rolled Pintade (guinea hen) Roulade and stuffed it with Duck Leg and Cherries. Not nearly as heavy as it sounds. VERY light! Not too rich at all. Moist, you wanted to inject it into your tastebuds.

That was served with his Lobster Mashed Potatoes. He made the Lobster stock, there were tons of Lobster pieces, and, again, not too rich and wonderful!

Of course, great green beans, cold, with baby onions, served cold with some sort of vinegar? sauce, and baked endive....My husband made Lemon Tarts with Hazelnut pastry and unwaxed lemons from our friends in Santa Rosa, Ca. and there was great pumpkin roll. We brought back Max Poulaine shortbread from Paris and the wines were great...

Tradition? Nah. I'd go for a Chef husband/wife team making their own creation, any day, any year!

[hot.chef]

Inject it into you tastebuds huh? why you little tarte! Seriously, it's very cool to read that awesome a review. Thanks for being holiday adventurers with us, it just wouldn't be the same.....

PS, the pintade was stuffed with duck leg mousse, marinated breast, and scotch soaked cherries.. Mwahahahhahahaha!!!

OKAY.

I know Thanksgiving was so far away we've forgotten it and are already thinking about Christmas turkey/ham.

But, we were invited to the guy who started this threads dinner- for Thanksgiving, and I haven't had the chance to write back and tell you how outrageous it was.

Hot.Chef rocks.

We had TRUFFLE popcorn to start. Yes, you read that right! Outrageous! There were cheeses, some fabulous blue goat presented at the James Beard dinner. But who cared.

-- TRUFFLE POPCORN is your tongue throwing a party for your mouth.

Then, he rolled Pintade (guinea hen) Roulade and stuffed it with Duck Leg and Cherries. Not nearly as heavy as it sounds. VERY light! Not too rich at all. Moist, you wanted to inject it into your tastebuds.

That was served with his Lobster Mashed Potatoes. He made the Lobster stock, there were tons of Lobster pieces, and, again, not too rich and wonderful!

Of course, great green beans, cold, with baby onions, served cold with some sort of vinegar? sauce, and baked endive....My husband made Lemon Tarts with Hazelnut pastry and unwaxed lemons from our friends in Santa Rosa, Ca. and there was great pumpkin roll.  We brought back Max Poulaine shortbread from Paris and the wines were great...

Tradition?  Nah. I'd go for a Chef husband/wife team making their own creation, any day, any year!

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